BLACK SUPERHEROES OF THE SILVER AGE OF COMICS

Show Page: https://www.theothersideofmidnight.com/20200711-schumer/
Alternate Listening:  https://www.talkstreamlive.com/program/richard_c_hoagland

My guest tonight, award-winning illustrator, writer and comic book historian, Arlen Schumer, has focused much of his attention on the "Silver Age" ....

"The Silver Age of Comics (circa 1956-70) not only birthed a new generation of superheroes, but for the first time in comic book publication ... black superheroes!

"The decade of the 1960s was one of the most turbulent in American — and world — history, sparking revolutions of all kinds in the political, socio-economic, cultural and artistic spheres. In the field of comic books, industry giant DC Comics rebooted its old superheroes from the 1940's 'Golden Age' into newer, sleeker, streamlined versions, while confronting its first serious competition in an upstart company called 'Marvel.'

"The legendary white artist/storyteller behind the newfound success of Marvel, Jack Kirby, suddenly decided to create the first black superhero -- The Black Panther -- six months before the infamous Black Panther political party was formed!"

Even more provocative, Kirby’s Panther was not an African-American, but a royal African Prince (of Kirby’s fictional ancient African Kingdom of "Wakanda").

As current history is now attempting to complete the unfinished social transformations of the 1960's, was Kirby's extraordinary vision -- which, remember, PREDICTED the existence of "The Face on Mars" in 1958 (!) -- providing us a hint of a long-lost, simultaneous, black "super-civilization" ... here on Earth?! Join us ....Richard C. Hoagland